May 13th, 2017 – Catholics against capital punishment

Segments

Catholic bishops in the United States frequently side with the Religious Right in the culture wars. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s radio show and podcast, we’ll discuss a major initiative by the Catholic Church that pushes in the other direction.

Host Rev. Welton Gaddy will be joined by Alexandra Carroll, Director of Communications at the Catholics Mobilizing Network, which is working to amplify the church’s renewed efforts to end the death penalty in the United States. They’ll discuss why Catholics, specifically, oppose capital punishment, and they’ll look back at the history of Catholic organizing against the death penalty. Carroll will give a preview of what’s to come and share how listeners, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, can get involved.

It’s wildly inaccurate to paint all evangelical Christians in this country with a broad brush, but the Religious Right has long claimed the label for its own. In the media and politics, the two terms are virtually interchangeable. However, that overlooks the many evangelicals who don’t fit the stereotype of being white, southern and Republican. We’ll take a more accurate measure of this diverse group by speaking with Deborah Lee, author of Rescuing Jesus: How People of Color, Women, and Queer Christians Are Reclaiming Evangelicalism, who explores the dilemma currently facing evangelicals of color in a new piece in Religion Dispatches.

Rabbi Jack Moline, president of Interfaith Alliance, will be on to help us make sense of President Trump’s dangerous new executive order that aims to politicize houses of worship. Speaking from Israel, Rabbi Moline will explore the potential consequences of the president’s gift to the Religious Right. Finally, Welton will share his perspective on recent actions by the administration.